Weak Slate Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Don’t Watch

Why You Might Want to Leave Football on this Thanksgiving

I’d rather not watch Matt Flynn play football anymore. Matthew Stafford really enjoys throwing the ball to the other team. I really don’t want to see Jerry Jones’ face. The Raiders are… well, the Raiders. The Ravens and Steelers aren’t particularly exciting this year.

However, I’ll still be on the floor in pain, moaning because I ate too much, watching the Turkey Day games.

1) Newsflash: Matt Flynn only performs well when playing for the Packers. Guess what? He will be the starting quarterback for the Packers on Thursday.

Let me get something straight right now.

If somehow I traded places with a GM of an NFL team, I wouldn’t even consider trading a washing machine for Flynn. Unlike Woody Harrelson’s character in Semi-Pro, Flynn just isn’t worth it. That being said, somehow Green Bay always finds a way to make him look better than he really is.

2) Matthew Stafford takes an approach to playing quarterback that is very rare among other QBs in the NFL. He has managed to blend the approach of a passer in the backyard football game “500” with the approach of a normal NFL quarterback. The result is a relatively (emphasis on relatively) effective style of play. He just throws the ball in the air, calls “81” every time, and hits the jackpot pretty often.

4) The Lions-Packers game has major playoff implications. The Lions are tied for the NFC North division lead with the Bears at 6-5 and the Packers are right behind both of them at 5-5-1.

5) Tony Romo doesn’t deserve to be the victim of endless hate. I didn’t appreciate Romo for a long time, but I have slowly come around on him. I can’t believe I am saying this, but I truly believe he is a solid quarterback.

Romo can be very, very fun to watch at times. Sports Illustrated even has him on the cover this week in an article about “why America’s whipping boy deserves your unconditional love.”

Honestly, I think the overwhelming hatred for Romo can be mostly attributed to lingering jealousy that originated from his relationship with Jessica Simpson. #justsayin.

6) Dez Bryant might get too energetic on the sideline and cause everyone to hate him for no real reason whatsoever. God forbid a guy is actually excited about playing football and tries to get his team pumped up on the sideline. *gasps* Blasphemy!

7) Matt McGloin has been a somewhat exciting story. McGloin, who went undrafted after playing for Penn State, has been a pleasant surprise for the Raiders. He has thrown four touchdowns and only one interception so far. McGloin will get his third career start on Thursday and could be interesting to watch. Again, just to be clear, I am not guaranteeing anything.

8) The Steelers and Ravens are both in the hunt for the last playoff spot in the AFC. The wild card is wide open at the moment. Their battle on Thanksgiving could give the sports world a better idea of which team will have the best shot at making the playoffs and maybe even making a run.

9) Joe Flacco must have made some sort of deal with the devil when it comes to the long ball. I have never seen someone so consistently lucky when throwing deep, deep passes. Jacoby Jones is certainly a happy beneficiary of Flacco’s deal with the devil. It pains me to say this, but it is incredible to watch some of the wild completions Flacco makes downfield.

10) The Steelers-Ravens game is a divisional game. Divisional games always tend to be a lot of fun to watch no matter what each team has done prior to the game. It’s a great rivalry with tons of history and in the words of Wyclef Jean, “say what, say what, anything can happen.”

So kick back, fire up the TV, enjoy some good food and some… to be determined football.